John Gibson (police officer)

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John Gibson
File:Detective John Gibson, USCP.png
Born (1956-03-29)March 29, 1956
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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Washington, D.C.
Resting place Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
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Relatives Evelyn (wife)
Kristin, Daniel and John (children)
Awards Law Enforcement Purple Heart
Police career
Department United States Capitol Police
Allegiance Washington, D.C.
Country United States
Years of service 1980 – 1998
Rank Detective

John Michael Gibson (March 29, 1956 – July 24, 1998) was a United States Capitol Police detective assigned to the dignitary protection detail of Congressman Tom DeLay. Gibson was one of two police officers killed inside the United States Capitol during a 1998 shooting rampage.

Personal life

Gibson was a native of Boston, Massachusetts. His wife, Lynn, was the niece of Representative Joe Moakley, a Democrat from Massachusetts. The couple had three children, a daughter and two boys.[2][3]

Gibson was sworn in as a police officer in 1980. He worked for the United States Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., and was a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia.[2]

Shooting incident

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Murder of John Gibson
Part of U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1998)
Location United States Capitol
Washington, D.C.
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Date July 24, 1998 (1998-07-24)
3:40 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Attack type
Shooting
Weapons .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver
Deaths Two: Jacob Chestnut, John Gibson
Injured Three: Angela Dickerson (tourist), Douglas McMillian (USCP officer), Russell Eugene Weston Jr.
Perpetrator Russell Eugene Weston, Jr.

On July 24, 1998, shooting suspect Russell Eugene Weston Jr. entered the United States Capitol. He shot and killed Officer Jacob Chestnut outside Representative Tom Delay's congressional office. Gibson confronted the suspect and was also shot. Despite being mortally wounded, Gibson was able to return fire and wounded the suspect.[4]

Weston was known to the United States Secret Service prior to the incident as a person who had threatened the President of the United States.[2] The suspect was found mentally unfit to stand trial.[5]

Honors

File:Capitol Police Honor Guard - 1998 shooting.jpg
A Capitol Police Honor Guard salutes the coffins of Gibson and Chestnut in the Capitol Rotunda

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A memorial service was held in the Capitol on July 28, 1998. Among those in attendance were President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. The coffins of Gibson and Chestnut were displayed in the United States Capitol rotunda, an honor usually reserved for former Presidents, members of Congress, or military heroes. Gibson was buried in Arlington National Cemetery and posthumously awarded the Law Enforcement Purple Heart.[2] His name is engraved in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial's west wall.[3]

On July 24, 2008, members of Congress paused for a moment of silence to mark the shooting's ten-year anniversary. On the east lawn of the Capitol, Democratic and Republican lawmakers planted a tree in memory of Gibson and Chestnut.[6]

See also

References

  1. Gibson funeral Mass, washingtonpost.com; accessed November 1, 2014.
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  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

Honorary titles
Preceded by Persons who have lain in state or honor
in the United States Capitol rotunda
(with Jacob Chestnut)

July 28, 1998
Succeeded by
Ronald Reagan